SleuthIT brings together different genres. Players can follow in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes to solve a mystery, experience the intricacies and interaction of an escape room and enjoy the inquiry and inference elements of a strategy game such as Cluedo.
We know that engaging students, especially boys of primary school age, with text, with reading and creative writing can be extraordinarily hard work. SleuthIT could turn out to be the missing piece of the puzzle.
Are video games a creative route to literacy?
There is a wealth of evidence to show that video games impact reading:
- We found that 4 in 5 (79%) young people who play video games read materials relating to video games regularly, including in-game communications (40%), reviews and blogs (31%), books (22%) and fan fiction (19%)
- A third (35%) also believe that playing video games makes them better readers. As one young person said: 'Books help grow your imagination and so do games, because of all the things you can do'
- Three-quarters (76%) of young people talk to their friends about video games compared with only 3 in 10 (29%) who discuss books. In addition, young people said that playing video games helps them to build social connections both ‘in real life’ and online, and maintain relationships with friends and family. One young person said: “Video games help me stay in touch with my cousin as he lives hundreds of miles away”
- Boys were much more likely to play video games than girls (96% vs 65%)
- Nearly twice as many boys as girls said they chatted with family and friends as part of playing a video game during lockdown (71% vs 40%)
- Video games were also found to be effective at engaging reluctant readers with stories, as 3 in 4 (73%) young people who don’t enjoy reading said playing video games helps them feel more part of a story than reading a book-based text
Research by the National Literacy Trust in 2020
SleuthIT 's genesis
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